Release of Ergenekon detainee ex-general surprises Turkey

The High Criminal Court in Istanbul has decided to release retired Gen. Hursit Tolon.

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07 Şubat 2009 Cumartesi 11:46

World Bulletin / News Desk

The High Criminal Court in Istanbul has decided to release retired Gen. Hursit Tolon, who was under arrest within the framework of the Ergenekon probe for seven month.

Earlier, Tolon was sent to the Gulhane Military Medical Academy (GATA) in Ankara because of his health problems, reported Anadolu Agency.

The former general was suspected of being a member of a shadowy, ultra-nationalist secularist group known as Ergenekon, which is under investigation.

Some Turkish television stations said a court ordered the release of Tolon, who had been moved from an Istanbul prison to a military hospital for health reasons, because of lack of evidence against him.

12th High Criminal Court of Istanbul, which has assessed Tolon's lawyer's request, decided to release him yesterday.

His lawyer, submitted a petition demanding release of his client.

On January 22, eighteen people who were detained during the latest raids under the Ergenekon probe have been arrested.

Twenty-six people who were detained during simultaneous operations in several provinces including Ankara, Sirnak, Siirt, Izmir, Sivas, Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Igdir, Elazig and Antalya were transferred to court on duty.

An alleged criminal network that came to be known as "Ergenekon" was revealed after police seized 27 grenades, TNT explosives and fuses in a shanty house in Istanbul on June 12, 2007 and Istanbul Chief Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into weapons. Police waged operations in several provinces and detained a number of people, including retired senior army officers, journalists and businessmen, for their alleged involvement in the network.